Chicago Art Prints for a Good Cause

One of the most simultaneously moving and depressing things about working with music listings, which I did for years at the Chicago Reader, was all the musician-benefit concerts. For all the value a thriving local music scene brings a city, it can be a tough life for the musicians themselves, as it rarely pays well and doesn’t come with insurance. So when a beloved musician hits hard medical times, his or her fellow artists often play gigs to make up the difference.

There’s a theme, “Misunderstood Creatures Exhibiting Intense Behavior,” which all the prints revolve around, and it features some of my favorite local artists— Mat Daly, Dan McAdam, Dan Grzeca—others from more distant parts. Jay Ryan’s is particuarly witty.